Maggy and Marty - Sitting in a Tree!!!

I now pronounce them....Maggy and Marty McDonald. Tah Dah........
And just so that you will recognize them if you see them walking away from you:

Isn't it so cute that Marty is putting his arm around Maggy as he leads her across the plaid show floor!! Maggy is sporting a purple jumper with a light pink shirt that looks as if it was knit just for her. Marty is looking very smart his blue bib overalls and fire engine red shirt - that looks like he just stepped down off the John Deere. Both have had their hair done at the Lion Brand Salon - Marty with his charcoal black hair slicked back in just the right place - and Maggy in her chic bleach-blond ready for anything very hip doo! Both in such constracting colors (that would be colours for my Canadian readers!) that look so right together.

Now, who do they remind me of. Hmmmmm??? I can't put my finger on it, but they are looking fine - if I don't say so myself!

And 4 more make more than a hand-full as you can see for yourself:

Don't have a Cow - Man?

Well I do!! Because I've now finished Old McDonald and his cow!!! Now that I think about it, the song about Old McDonald is kind of rude - isn't it? Do people go around calling someone "old" to the point that the word "old" has actually became a part of their name? In fact, do you actually know what his real first name is? No you don't. But you do know that he is "old". I know that I would have a few words of wisdom with someone who felt that I was now so "old" that they were going to replace my name with the word "old"! That reminds me of a conversation I had with Michelle the other day about the fact that she was feeling so old. Now I am only a very few measly years older than Michelle - but she has always insisted on telling me that everyone older than she was - was actually "my age"!! She was kidding - or at least she better have been. Ha-ha. So anyway Michelle was telling me how old she was becoming and I had the great pleasure in telling her that I felt bad about her impending old age - however, that while she was aging - that I hadn't aged a day!! In fact, if anyone asked my age that I was going to start subtracting from my actual age!! I heard that age is a state of mind anyhow so I should really be telling people my mental age (wait no one would ever believe that number. ha-ha). But if age is really a state of mind, I believe that making finger puppets has reduced my age a couple of years at least! If you don't believe me, give it a try. The mere fact that I have been sitting in my living room with finger puppets on every single finger making them have conversations amongst themselves has got to have helped me turn back the clock. Now that I read that in print, however, it just sounds a little crazy. Anyway - take a look closer look at Mr. Marty McDonald (had to give him a name after all):

The right eye looks a little larger than the left and he doesn't have much hair - but remember he's no spring chicken after all!! Using black yarn kind of makes him look like he died it for the ladies (well, Maggy anyway).


Pretty skinny cow, but I think he's pretty cute - especially the horns and those crazy ears! He cracks me up!!!

Now you know that George always needs to get in the picture and he had a great idea to show his best side - let me know what you think!!

It's kind of funny that I have cat that knows how to Vogue!

E-I-E-I-O!!!

Old McDonald had a farm. His wife Maggie McDonald, being a good farmer's wife knew how to knit. Since McDonald was too old for real animals she knit him finger puppets!! After all, a farm isn't a real farm unless it has knitted animals. At least that's how I explained it to my husband. I don't think he was buying it...but the I found the cutest finger puppets in this book (that by the way, I got at Border's Books in the bargain section for only $5!! I had picked out a much more expensive knitting book and put it down immediately and picked up this gem instead):
Since my wool that I ordered hasn't arrived yet, I needed a quick fun project to get me through (Todd says that I'm a knitaholic - I may have to find a meeting. Like a knitting circle or something!! Anybody got a cute pattern?? How about some fabulous yarn??). So I found these puppets. Here is what the book says they should look like:
I've only made three of them so far (since I'm making them in duplicate for Brother-in-law's kids and my huband's cousin's kids(there must be an easier way to say that - but heck if I know how to do it!!) for Christmas. So if you know them or are them - turn off the blog site and forget what you've seen!! Also if you are them and are on the blog - why haven't you commented? Anyway, So really I've already made 6 puppets- but only get credit for 3. Plus, my girl friend saw them and wants me to make some for her niece. I'm not trying to running finger puppet cloningshop or something. Maybe I could open a finger puppet sweat shop. But then maybe only your fingers would sweat? Hmmmm....maybe I've over thought this. Anyway, But I'll probably make some for her too. They knit up really fast and are fun to make. Each one turns out just a bit different. Also, I had to embellish them here and there.

So on the farm they had a PIG! With an Oink, Oink here:

I added the snout and the tail. Frankly - the pig looked a little cow like with out them!!

And on the farm they had a Horse! With a horse noise, here and a horse noise there.....

I called it, horse noise, because the horse sounds are in my opinion the hardest of all animal noises to make. Sure you can stamp the ground like a horse or blow out and make the brrrrrrrr sound. But the actual "Nay" is harder to say than it is to spell. Go ahead. Give it a go. Tough one wasn't it?!! I made this one to pattern, except that had I had this great suede yarn left from Michelle's coat. Kind of horse colored I thought! Plus his mane makes me kind of smile. Kind of looks like my hair when I get up in the morning!

And on the farm they had a Duck! With a quack-quack here and a quack-quack there!!

Ok - so it looks like a wild duck (it's yellow after all). Or is it a chicken? Either way, it looks better with wings that I added to the pattern. He looks like he's always in flight!!

And on the farm they had a Cat named George!



Because George felt like Old McDonald would definitely have a cat in charge - he wanted to be on the farm too. Actually he looks a little annoyed to me. It's tough to be a cat in the same house as a knitter!
Anyway, as soon as I have the cow and farmer done (I think I'll make Maggie McDonald too) I'll be back! Old McDonald had a farm. E-I-E-O. Bye for now!!

Today's Blog is Brought to you by the Letter "G"!

The letter for today boys and girls is "G". Sometimes don't you want to go back to a simpler time when Sesame Street was your favorite show? And there was a "letter of the day" where you went around and tried to come up with as many words you could that started with that letter? Well me too!! So anyway, there are several reasons why G is my letter of the day:

1. "G" I'm sorry that it took me so long to write something on this blog. I can't believe that it has been 2 weeks since I've had an entry. I really couldn't believe that now my hits are over one G! But I'm back and feel like I have the Gift for Gab once more. So what are we waiting for? Let's Go!!
   
2. "G" I'm Glad my husband is home from beinG Gone for the past 6 weeks on business!! Well, he's back for the weekend and has to Go away aGain on Monday, but at least he's home to see his Gal. And he's in the home stretch now and will only be Gone for a couple of days and then he'll be back for a Good long time. And G I forgot how loud that my Guy Snores! I think it sounds like he is sawing logs in the Shurwood Forest!! Which is I why I thought, "G - it's time for me to Get up and write on my blog!!
   
3. George is happy to have his own Grass. This picture cracks me up - I think he's trying to smile for the camera (maybe he's even "giggling"):

4. The F-ing Sweater was transformed into the G-Rated Tank!! I went to Michelle's and she said that the F-ing sweater pattern was so Garballed that she decided to turn it into a tank instead. I think that was Genius! It turned out so Gorgeous (and I'm not just saying that to use a good G word). I took the pictures with my cell phone - but that camera didn't do it justice. The ladder yarn has the coolest texture and sheen. I tried to take a close up of the textures of the yarn - but aGain - cell phones are meant to talk to people and someone just put the camera part in as a "Gimmick" (ooooh, that was a good "G" word!). Plus who can tell the pictures aren't that Good - since the screens on the phones are so tiny? But any who, I am so surprised that the tank isn't see through at all! I can see why it took so long and most of all it was just like a Gift from God that she took the yarn and the pattern back and didn't make me knit it!

5. I finished my Purple Tank with Glittery Ties! I found the pattern in the Interweave Knits magazine - Summer 2007. I think it's so cute. It was super simple (oops that was the aliteration with the letter S...hmmmm.... G.....nope - can't think of a g word). I Googled the magazine and found out that they Give the pattern away for free! Here's the link if you want to make one for yourself: Summertime Tunic.


Here's a close up to see thg Glittery ties. Plus the other pictures kind of looked blue to me - when the tank is really purple.

6. George's cousin "Ramses The Great" wanted to Give It Up to all! He's so Gangster!
7. Michelle and I Gallivanted (wow - I think that g word would be worth a 100pts in scrabble!) around several knitting shops in the Twin Cities last weekend and we both found some really nice yarn. Plus it's so nice to see what's out there. It kills me that I lived there for years and never knew these shops were within a few miles of me because I hadn't learn to knit yet! Anyway, I ordered this 100% extra fine merino wool - that is so soft! Who knew that 100% wool is soft?! Plus I had 25 colors to choose from!!! You don't get that in a big box store!! It was a hard decision but this is the color that I chose:

I am going to knit that yarn in the "Wheat-Ear Cable Yoke" sweater pattern from the same magazine as the tank. I was able to Grab the picture off of their website - but this one they make you buy the magazine to Get.


So now I know that you are probably G'ed out. Just think of poor Todd, who has another 15 hours left of G words. What that poor guy has to put up with - Gosh Golly G-Willickers!

Good bye!